Abstract
We have measured the resistive transition of very thin superconducting Al films in an applied magnetic field . Values of the critical field were obtained as a function of temperature , film thickness, and field direction. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons are made here with the theory of high-field superconductors including the effects of Pauli paramagnetism, spin-orbit interaction, and thermodynamic fluctuations. In particular, the predicted first-order transition to the normal state at low temperature and large was observed. From theoretical analysis of the data, values of the spin-orbit scattering rate of about 0.2 were obtained. The thickness of the films studied were in the range 35-1000 Å, and critical fields up to 55 kOe were observed.
- Received 6 April 1973
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.8.5098
©1973 American Physical Society